George e



(No Model.)

G. E. LE CLAIR. TOBACCO CUTTING MACHINE.

Patented Aug; 11, 1891.

MQXM 0mm ma norms nuns cm, mourn-mm, msmmrrun, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

GEORGE E. LE cLAIR, or CLEVELAND, orno, ASSIGNOR TO FRANK o.

NEITZEL, OF SAME PLACE.

TOBACCO-CUTTI NG MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,402, dated August 11, 1891.

Application filed May 31, 1890. Serial N0. 353,818. (No model.)

At the inner end the apron To all whom it may concern: I for this purpose.

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. LE CLAIR, turns over a corresponding roll 19 which likea citizen of the United States, residing at wise constitutes one of the feed-rolls, another Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and roll being placed above the said roll b and 55 5 State of Ohio, have invented certain new and having the cutting-disks arranged at suit useful Improvements in Tobacco-Cutting Maable intervals thereon. These disks are of chines; and I do hereby declare that the fola diameter corresponding to the lower feedlowing is a full,'clear, and exact description roll, and the disks are arranged sufficiently of the invention, which will enable others high above said roll to avoid cutting the end- 60 r skilled in the art to which it appertains to less apron which is stretched over the roll, make and use the same. but yet serving to cut the tobacco in l0ngi The invention relates to that class of totudinal strips as it. is passed through bebacco-cutting machines which are designed to tween said disks and the apron and roll becut leaf-tobacco preparatory to making up neath. 6; I the same into cigars,,the product of which It will be understood that the tobacco is in machine is commonly known as scrap, and a moistened state when fed through this mais in condition to be used as filling in cigars chine, so that the work can be accomplished which are themselves made by machines. and the tobacco kept in the desired condition.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is D is a metallic bed-frame fixed upon the 70 a side elevation of the machine embodying main frame of themachine bysuitable means my invention, the wheelson the near side of and provided at its center with a transverse the view outside of the frame-beingin dotted cutter-bar d. This bar is inclined on its uplines, so as to disclose the mechanism behind. per edge or surface inwardly and downwardly Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine. Fig. 3 from a horizontal plane to the center from 75 is a perspective of the bed-frame. Fig. 4 is a both sides, so as to form a central depression cross-section of the machine, showing the resomewhat below each end of the bar or side lation of the cutting-disks to the bed-frame. of the frame. This cross-baris beveled from Fig. 5 is a perspective of the angle-iron its cutting-edge back to the other edge, as cleaner and presser-bar. Fig. 6 is a section shown, so as to enable the cutting-edge to be 80 of a portion of the cutter-head enlarged and kept sharp or approximately sharp for coacshowing the construction for adjusting the tion with the blades of the cutter-heads. In knives. Fig. 7 is a view of a modification. work of this kind there is constant tendency In order to more clearly understand the for the tobacco to crowd away in front of the invention in its details, it may be stated that knife and to avoid being cut, and to meet 85 the tobacco is conveyed to the machine by this tendency I make the lowest point in the an endless apron, at the end of which are arcutter-bar d at the center. Then as the blades ranged the feed-rolls and the series of cut- 6 of the cutter-head E are straight horizontal ting-disks, through which the stock is fed to blades and work horizontally they crowd the a transverse revolving cutter, the disks servmaterial that refuses to be out toward a com- 90 4o ing to cut the stock in strips longitudinally mon center from both sides, where it becomes and the revolving cutter to sever the strips compacted and readily yields to the knives. into scraps. For this purpose I provide a This construction has the further advantage suitable frame A, extending out at one side of enabling me to use a single cutter-blade a sufficient distance to accommodate the endextending from end to end of the head E, and 95 less apron or conveyer B and the hopper O. a single cuttenbar forming part of the frame The said apron turns over suitable rolls at D, thus simplifying and cheapeningconstrucits extremities, the outer roll I) having tight tion'. ening mechanism, consisting here of ahooked The cutter-head is fixed on a shaft jourrod 12', engaging the spindle of the roll and naled on the frame D, and the knives are set so [00 having a thumb-nut to tighten or loosen it. as to just clear the angular edge of the crossbar (1. Thus it occurs that when the stock This or equivalent mechanism may be used has been cut in longitudinal strips by the circular knives and is fed through to the cutter-blades 6' over bar (Z it is then out transversely by the said knives, whence it drops upon the chute F and is delivered where desired. It will be seen by this arrangement that if there be any crowding at all it is toward the central depressed portion of the cutter-bar; but inasmuch as the bevel of this bar runs from its opposite ends I am enabled to get the necessary shearing cut by making the angle of the bevel, ascompared with a horizontal plane, at least one-half less than is required when the cutting-knife is set at an angle and works on a plane straight cutterbar. It follows that no objectionable crowding toward the center occurs,and that I get a clean perfect cut of the stock and the most satisfactory results in this particular.

The knives e are shown in Fig. 6 as adjustable by screws 6 and c to take up wear, and the mechanism by which the cutter-head is turned and the stock is fed is arranged in such manner that the stock is cut the desired length. This driving mechanism, as here shown, consists in a drive-wheel G, which may be run by hand or power, and meshes with a small wheel 9 on the shaft 9', carrying the fly-wheel The sprocket-chain runs from shaft 9' to counter-shaft H, which has gear h meshing with gear 0 on the shaft I, carrying the cutting-disks. From this shaft the lower feed-roll b is driven, and through it the endless apron or conveyer is carried around. Suitable spring mechanism is provided to hold the shaft I down in its working position; but the spring will permit the cutting-blades to ride up over any foreign substances that may be fed in with the tobacco, and which would work injury if the bearings of the said shaft I were perfectly rigid.

K is an angle-plate fixed at the inner end of the hopper and provided with slots in its angle adapted to the cutter-disks and serving to clean the same, and the lower portion 70 of said angle-plate bears upon the stockv and keeps it pressed downward preparatory to being cut by the revolving blades e.

I have shown the cutter-head E as provided with four blades, which are suited in number to the propelling mechanism and serve to cut the stock the length I desire. In some instances, however, it may be desirable to cut the stock at a greater length, and in such cases I substitute a drum 1), with two blades 6 instead of four. In that case the drum serves to size or fix the length of the stock that is out, and the blades perform their function as before.

By having the endless apron pass around the lower feed-roller beneath the cuttingdisks I get a steady certain feed, and this enables me to employ only the two rollers, including the disks, thus simplifying the machine.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure Letters Patent, is

In a tobacco-cutting machine, a bed-frame D, having near its center and arranged outside of the cutter-box a transverse cutter-bar d, deepest atits center and gradually rising from its center to its ends, in combination with a pair of feed-rolls in the cutter-box and behind said cutter-bar, an endless feed-apron 13, extending around the lower feed-roll, and a series of cutting-disks c 011 the upper feedroll, and a drum carried by the frame D, having arms and cutter-blades e on the arms having their cutting-edges parallel to the axis of the drum, substantially as described.

WVitness my hand to the foregoing specification this 1st day of February. 1890. V

GEORGE E. LE CLAIR.

Witnesses:

H. T. FISHER, NELLIE L. MCLANE. 

